Meet your Director candidatesBREB Click the link to view the complete biographies of those running in the BREB Election on Dec. 16, 2014. If you have not already done so, please confirm your attendance to support@breb.org. For those who are unable to attend the meeting, you may wish to complete a proxy form. Click HERE to download and complete the form. All proxies must be received at the Board Office no later than 10:00 a.m. on Friday Dec. 12, 2014.

Important reminder about proxiesBREB In preparation for the General Election Meeting on Dec. 16, 2014, BREB would like to remind you that as per Article 3, Section 2.4 of the By-Law "All proxies must be delivered to the Board no later than 48 hours prior (excluding weekends and statutory holidays) to a Meeting of the Membership." If you are unable to make it to the meeting and would like to carry a vote by completing a proxy, the deadline to submit your proxy form to the Board Office is Friday Dec. 12, 2014 by 10:00 a.m.

Phase out of options in Old Stratus: Jan. 7BREBOn Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, the following options will no longer be accessible from Old Stratus. Instead, users in Old Stratus will be redirected to New Stratus when they click on any of these options:

These changes are coming into effect as we move towards the retirement of Old Stratus in March 2015.

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Save the Home Buyer's PlanREALTOR® Action Network via CREA Your Member of Parliament (MP) is particularly crucial to the REALTOR® community's advocacy efforts this fall. Please take two minutes to respond to our industry's call to action. As a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, your MP is an integral part of the pre-budget consultation process. Their support could tip the political scales in our favour as we push to save the purchasing power of the Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) from erosion in Budget 2015.

Build your business by building your reputation for higher ethical business standards. Real estate is a business built on trust. Ethics and Business Practice is a robust three-day course that equips new and experienced real estate practitioners with tools and strategies to refine their decision making skills to maintain strict ethical standards and win the confidence of their clients. Register HERE.

Agents Equity This unique Internet service lets you receive advance payment of your real estate sales commission before closing for immediate access to the money you've earned.
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Volunteers are the heart of any not-for-profit organizationBREB BREB continues to promote the importance of leadership and volunteer awareness. BREB has several Committees, Councils and Task Forces looking for motivated Members with new ideas and a commitment to ensure the strength and positive direction within the Board. As a BREB Volunteer, you will be required to attend meetings as scheduled. In accordance with BREB's Policy & Procedure Manual, all Board Volunteers are required to complete the OREA Leadership 100 online course (free), within thirty (30) days of their first Committee Meeting. Don't miss the opportunity to get involved and make a difference by serving on one of the many BREB Committees, Councils and Task Forces.

• Proposed By-Law Revisions
• Member vote for the 2015/2016 Board of Directors

The meeting will be held at the Brampton Real Estate Board located at 60 Gillingham Drive, Suite 401 Brampton, ON. A full hot breakfast will be available from 8:45 a.m.; the meeting will commence at 10:00 a.m. sharp. Your cooperation in confirming your attendance as soon as possible to the Board office at (905) 791-9913 or support@breb.org would be most appreciated.

Join us at the BREB Holiday Open House: Dec. 16, 2014BREB On Dec. 16, 2014, stop by the BREB Office 401-60 Gillingham Drive, Brampton, ON, between 12:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. following the BREB Election Meeting for some festive food & holiday cheer courtesy of TK's Catering. Tickets are complimentary, however we ask that you please bring a donation of a non perishable food item or a new unwrapped toy in support of Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel. Kindly RSVP by Dec. 9, 2014 so we may plan accordingly to 905-791-9913 or support@breb.org We hope to see you there!!!

An excess of 'experts' slows the Toronto real estate marketThe Globe and Mail The traditional seasonal slowdown in Toronto's real estate market appears to have arrived a little early this year.
Most years, the housing market calms in December. Listings fall off and prospective buyers are distracted by the holidays.

TREB: Technology key to new homebuyersToronto Sun Today's homebuyers' must-haves extend well beyond shiny fixtures and faucets. Recognizing that many young homebuyers have never known a world without technology — personal computers and the Internet have been mainstays since they were children — they expect that technology should be fully integrated not only into the home buying process but also into their homes.

Agents on the hook for illegal in-law suitesMove Smartly The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), the body that licenses and governs real estate agents, is cracking down on representatives who advertise two-unit homes without making clear whether the second unit — usually a basement apartment — is legal.

Canada November housing starts post fastest rise in 7 monthsBloomberg Canadian housing starts rose the fastest in seven months in November on gains in multiple-unit work, government figures showed.
The pace of work on new homes rose 6.5 per cent to 195,620 units at a seasonally adjusted annual pace in November, said Ottawa-based Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp.

Commission warns about mortgage broker adsMortgage Broker News FSCO has recently received a number of complaints about illegal mortgage brokering ads and, in response, it has issued an official warning.
"Under Ontario's Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act, 2006, all mortgage brokerages, brokers and agents must prominently disclose the name in which they are licensed and their licence number in all public relations materials, including ads," an official release from FSCO states.

Study: Wind turbines have little effect on value of Ontario homes and farms  despite public outcryNational Post Wind turbines generally have little effect on the value of nearby properties with possibly isolated exceptions, a recent study of thousands of home and farm sales has found.
The surprising findings, published in the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, come amid an already fiery debate over wind farm impacts and appear to contradict widely-held views among turbine critics.

More clarity needed for syndicated mortgage websites Mortgage Broker NewsFollowing a FSCO warning about an unlicensed syndicated mortgage referral website, one industry leader suggests there needs to be more clarity when it comes to these arrangements.
In an official statement, the commission warned consumers that InTeg Financial is not licensed to broker mortgage business in Ontario.